Chapter 113

“What do you think, do you see anything?”
“…….”
“Ravi? Can’t you hear me?”
“…….”
“Oh no, you’re not going to answer.”
Antonio’s brow furrowed at the childlike look on the leader’s face as he spoke to Ekidna, who waved her hand in front of Ravi’s eyes.
“You know, you can’t actually hear it.”
“You know what? It could be that I’m making it up as I go along. Or maybe the spelling has evolved. Spells, you know, they get better with use.”
“I’m ignorant about spells, but it’s been less than 24 hours since I last checked, and common sense tells me that there will be significant changes overnight.”
Ekidna glanced at Antonio, who was arguing back.
“Have you noticed a change in attitude lately?”
“Is that so?”
“Crawling… isn’t the right word. It’s a lot of talking.”
“Ekidna has become more playful.”
The soft smile was unnecessarily awkward.
Their relationship goes back to their hometown. In short, they are like family. Despite their deep connection, Antonio had only treated Ekidna as a superior in Timorta.
Ekidna wanted a competent attendant rather than a friend or family member. Her hair was falling out as she tried to keep track of the subtleties of the cartel’s relationships, and she was getting cranky.
For now, I’ve taken down a bunch of stuff.
“Never mind. By the way, how long until-”
Ekidna was perched on the bonnet of a stopped car.
“……whoops!”
“That’s it.”
Ravi, who had been leaning against Antonio in a daze, blinked open his eyes. He was breathing rapidly, his hands clutching my limbs. Unlike earlier, Ekidna didn’t rush him, but waited patiently.
This is Rabiman’s routine. It is a ‘return’ operation.
“What do you think, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. It’s fine!”
“It’s okay to say you’re tired if that’s your limit. Ekidna won’t push you too hard.”
“I’m really fine, except I feel a little hollow near the wing bone.”
Ravi is a kind of sentient. He can link his mind to an animal and receive shared sensations.
It is a spell that lacks a screw in that it only allows the sharing of sensations. It doesn’t take away control of the body. It is like watching a movie about an animal that lives faithfully to its wildness.
I’ve seen some disgusting things. Beyond the savagery, there’s also the savage eating and mating…….
Anyway.
“Can I ask you now, did you see anything?”
Ravi tuned in to the bird at Ekidna’s direction and observed Kabarati. Even a brief pass over the city can provide some information.
On the flip side, it also meant that there was no other way to get information. Nuova Era is a mafia organization. No one here has been trained to be a spy in some secret service somewhere.
So we’re forced to rely entirely on Ravi’s spell…….
“Yeah, there’s no change that I can see right off the bat.”
“…even today.”
“Yes, today, too. I think you should think about other possibilities.”
Ekidna raised her right eye.
“What?”
“He’s already been caught. Or, he.”
“You went behind our backs and hooked up with Ramaz?”
It’s a hypothesis that can’t be ruled out.
I’ve heard his real name. We’ve been through the desert together. But he’s still a man of secrets. His purpose is in Naraka, so it’s no wonder he’s changing partners.
But it’s an afterthought.
“What can I say, he’s got collateral and a valuable looking knife, so I’ll trust him. If things get weird, we can just run away. We have nothing to lose.”
They just need to move on from Kabarati and target other cities. It’s a shame to see a great talent like Kim leave, but hey, he was never there in the first place.
In any case, we’ll just have to wait and see for now.
Ekidna shook her head and kept her eyes straight ahead. After a few dunes that blocked her view, she would see Kavarati.
It’s farther than you think.
“Ugh, it’s frustrating not knowing anything. What is this guy doing?”
* * *
Tududududu!
The 7.62-millimeter rounds rained down with heavy gunfire.
Weaponized 4-star Special Weapon [Browning]. The most penetrating weapon up to 4-star. Even with no hit modifier, it’s not a miss.
Boom, pavavak!
A barrage of gunfire pounded Mithril’s body. There was no time to dodge, no time to shield herself with her arms. Some of the shots passed completely through her body and out the other side, others lodged deep in her flesh.
It’s definitely a fatal wound.
“I got lucky.
He didn’t just wait for mithril to come from nowhere. Kim had been tutored in the code of stealth by Ghost.
Among them: Follow.
Ghosts didn’t just teach us how to stay undetected. Rather, it taught us how to make our presence felt and provoke action.
The streets around here are simple. The streets are wide enough to allow you to walk on. It’s hard to avoid being followed, but it’s very easy to be spotted on purpose.
If Mithril were to try to overpower the bogeyman following me, at what point would he make his move? The wide boulevard continues as you turn, but then a side street appears. This is a good spot.
“They caught me here too.
This was a fairly predictable category.
‘I never thought Assam would be this good.
Assam’s spell is [play with dolls].
It’s a gruesome ability, and an unfortunate name for a cheerful boy. You can possess the physical body of an unconscious target. Not only stunned, but also asleep.
In other words, you can leave the fluid and take control of a sleeping person’s body.
“There must be a lot of constraints.
Prioritized distance limits.
Also, if the body’s owner is shocked enough to wake up, the spell is broken. For the same reason, it is not suitable for combat. It is also not fuel efficient and cannot be used repeatedly within a short period of time.
In the game, it’s a form of possession of enemy units. It’s a one-time use that eats up SP like a hippopotamus, drastically reduces combat power, and is systematically prevented from being used against bosses.
I can only say it sucks, but…….
“It’s a sham here.
Mithril even pulled out a spell to catch Assam. It was an unexpected stroke of luck. Just like in the game, you don’t have to worry about cooldowns, and releasing a spell is the best time to let your guard down.
I feel sorry for the guy who got beaten up by Zolzie Mithril.
But I hope you’ll cut me some slack this time.
I’ll take revenge for you.
Thud, thud!
Shells whizzed through the air, gunpowder smoke billowing from the ejection port. I don’t even bother to stabilize my aim. He fired without pause, expending all 30 rounds in the magazine.
Heat radiated from the palm of his hand wrapped around the barrel cover. Kim reversed his lowered stance like a spring. The view was unobstructed now that the tarp had been removed.
At the same time, a man covered in blood charged like a bull.
“Damn it, I’m doing this…!
Kim immediately discarded [Browning] and took out [Static Tower]. Throwing away the advantage of being undetected on the ground.
But I had no other choice.
Eventually, a mineral sprouted from Mithril’s skin. Not even Pekatum could stand before such unthinking destructive power. He tightened his grip with both hands.
─Turrrrrr!
It was a force that seemed to blow away every judgment in my head. I couldn’t even flick the switch to release the current. My forearms were flailing like crazy and my body was being pushed back.
Nevertheless.
“Endured.
Four-star gear, four-star operative specs, and he took the hit.
The results proved one thing.
“This spell, you can’t be…….”
Mithril’s eyes widened in horror as she glared at Kim.
No, it won’t just be shock.
His entire body is drenched in blood. Flesh is visible through the minerals that should have covered his skin. The blood soaks the mineral red.
The ambush worked. He’s already a courier.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Release your right hand from the grip of the bent shield. My senses are dull, but my movements are unhindered. It’s time to relentlessly exploit your weaknesses, so I’ve crafted [Ivory].
“Ugh!”
I shot the hand of a soldier who was coming at me from behind. No unnecessary interference. You interrupted a very fair, one-on-one fight.
“Yikes. Son of a bitch…!”
“Yeah, it’s nice to see you too.”
Bang, bang!
He gives you a bullet as a greeting. It ricocheted off a forearm that covered its front. Mithril’s sparking arm was densely covered in crystals as sharp as stalactites.
He’s always been a tough boss, but to be able to keep his spells even when he looks like that is beyond impressive.
But we’re definitely winning.
Tadadak!
Kim began to climb the exterior stairs of the building behind him. There was no reason to drag him into a hand-to-hand combat. It’s better to keep a reasonable distance while utilizing the advantages of hand-to-hand combat.
“Damn, where!”
Sensing his intentions, Mithril gave chase. She leapt up the stairs, clawing at the rusted iron railing. He paused halfway up the stairs, his momentum not quite matching his fierce intent.
I circled the stairwell and pulled the trigger.
“Ugh!”
Mithril, Hafael twisted his upper body as soon as the muzzle of the gun was pointed at him. A bullet grazed his cheek. It burned as if it were on fire, an unfamiliar sensation to him.
From the time he came of age, Hafael was a powerhouse.
He may have been a puppy compared to now, but even then, he was capable of beating up the mafia. Of course, the power of the organization was too much for a little kid to handle, and it didn’t take long for a crisis to arise.
And he was taken by the godmother.
The Legion’s technology has made your spells more powerful. It was a body modification performed against his will, but he was pleased with the enhanced power.
I got used to it and forgot about it.
“Was a gun really that intimidating?
The claustrophobic, armored feeling I always get when I cast a spell is gone. The air against your flesh is bitter. The crystals gradually dissolve into grains of light.
A gut feeling hit me in the head.
“I’m going to die.
Hollow. It’s a hollow and ridiculous ending.
Voila!
Hafael clenched his fangs. His ultramarine blue eyes sparked with a wild fire. A lust for life. He didn’t want to end up like Shadoor, like Snowfield, like an asshole.
With willpower and venom, I pulled my foot off.
The steps shook violently as he pressed on, and a section of the torn railing bent. Desperately pushing through the mind-numbing pain, Hafael reached the roof.
Being anchored in evil naturally limited my vision.
“Wire?
I didn’t realize it until after I stepped on it.
─Quack!
A booby trap you don’t know when it was set off. The exploding thermobaric grenade scattered shrapnel in all directions. Some of the flying shrapnel landed in a water tank on the roof.
“Ugh, big. Pfft……!”
Hafael’s half-ragged body shook violently, and he looked around through the smoke, but saw no one. As if he wasn’t being watched, ‘Hyun’ had moved to the next building.
“Hey, hey…! Fuck, fuck…!”
Suddenly, Hafael felt as if he were a beast of prey. A bear or something, being hunted without being able to express his natural wildness and ferocity.
Why is he here.
The questions that had been swirling around my head since I realized the existence of the strings slowly faded away. Not because they were coolly resolved. They were swept away by a torrent of emotions.
Fear.
It was a different kind of fear than the one felt by the weak in the face of overwhelming power. An enemy, undoubtedly weaker than him, seemed to be coming at him from the darkness, swinging a blade unilaterally.
Hafael ran to the ledge of the roof.
It was more like running. My legs wouldn’t listen. When I got close, I threw myself down.
It wasn’t a declaration of determination to die; it wasn’t a very tall building, and I trusted my still-functioning spell more than my raggedy flesh.
Boom!
“Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph…….”
He couldn’t feel his legs. If he couldn’t walk, he could only crawl. He made his way along the ground like a slug. Once out of the ditch, a wide boulevard opened up.
The night is filled with voices.
– Over here! Move it!
– You still haven’t heard from him. Radio him until you do!
Soldiers are coming from all directions. I have heard the commotion.
Quick to respond, Hafael thought to himself. It’s a world full of pigs, but some people learn when you teach them.
I could see a narrow path.
“Chi, heal. Lay down troops, heal.
I can survive. Hope flashed through his mind like paint. He didn’t know what state his body was in. He could only vaguely guess.
They can move, albeit slowly, and have no problem with accidents.
“I should have killed him then and there!
I can see him in my mind’s eye, shamelessly claiming to be a low-priced merchant. I was intrigued by his unflinching, unblurred eyes. A talent made all the more coveted by the fact that Atlanta was a wasteland.
It was greed.
‘We shouldn’t have appeased him, we should have ripped out his head.
He should have ordered them killed, not monitored them. It was a mistake on Hafael’s part, as he had plenty of opportunities to take him out.
For example.
I made the same mistake as the idiots in Legion that I laughed at so much.
I gritted my teeth through the pain.
Realization struck me like a bolt of lightning in my furious head.
“Oh, yeah, that was you. In Bastitera, too, you.”
There was no proof. It was nothing more than a psychosis, but Hafael was certain. That was the man who had fed the godmother the water. The same man who is the natural enemy of the Legion.
A dry chuckle escaped me as the thought went crazy.
‘Was it wise not to get involved in the first place?
It was a regret that was long overdue.
More than Hafael knew ‘string’, Kim knew ‘mithril’.
Who he is as a person. Who he is when the odds are stacked against him.
Kim had no shield or pistol in his hand. He pointed a semi-automatic rifle [Galand] at the roof of the building. A dead man, dripping blood and guts, came into the scope.
As promised, there was no second time.
Get it!
A shot through the air pierced Mithril’s head.